community in Oklahoma
Honey bee forage in Durham, Oklahoma
Estimated forage here is better than about 21% of sites in Oklahoma. Against other Oklahoma sites it stands out most in fall (75th percentile) and lowest in spring (25th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.6 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 2.9 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Durham?
- First forage: Feb 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Main flow: Mar 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Oct 31 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Durham, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Apr 4.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Sorghum: about 31 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi E, blooms late Jul – early Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Durham
Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Western Great Plains Sand Prairie; Western Great Plains Sandhill Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi NE; pond, lake or river 0.35 mi SW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Durham ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 35th | 58th | 38th | 75th |
| Oklahoma | 21st | 25th | 31st | 75th |
| Central Great Plains | 15th | 66th | 23rd | 87th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 82% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Durham: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Reydon 13 mi · Cheyenne 21 mi · Arnett 22 mi · Strong City 22 mi · Shattuck 29 mi · Sweetwater 30 mi
All towns in Oklahoma · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Durham (35.8439, -99.9261); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.